Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t quite back in rhythm after missing more than a week of games.
He was solid but not great against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, and then struggled against the stout Milwaukee Bucks defense on Sunday.
Gilgeous-Alexander went 3-for-12 from the field and finished with 14 points in the 98-85 loss. He made two of his five 3-point attempts and went 6-for-9 from the free throw line.
“Just a bad night. I missed a couple easy ones, missed a bunch of free throws, shots that I usually make,” he said. “I’m not really too worried. Just one of them nights and I’ll be better for next game.”
Head coach Mark Daigneault attributed the struggles to Gilgeous-Alexander’s recovery from a knee injury that cost him a total of six games more so than the way the Bucks defended him.
“He’s had some success against similar defenses,” Daigneault said. “He’s still getting his legs back underneath him, I think, and his rhythm back. I didn’t think he looked like himself tonight.”
Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged that his conditioning isn’t quite where it had been when asked directly about it in the postgame press conference.
“I felt a little bit behind conditioning, which is expected with the little break from playing. But I feel like as the games go on I’ll get better and better,” he said. “I felt better tonight conditioning-wise than I did in Memphis, so I guess that’s a plus.”
He’ll have his next chance to test out the knee in a game situation against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!
